Guinea-Bissau

ADF STAFF Mario Boris Fernandez pulled his artisanal fishing canoe ashore at Porto de Bandim in Guinea-Bissau. A longtime fisherman in Bissau, the national capital, he did not struggle with the weight of a large haul. That’s the…

ADF STAFF When he opened a recent meeting of the regional bloc he chairs, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló urged a new response to West Africa’s rash of coups. He was speaking from experience, having escaped a failed coup that…

ADF STAFF Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced at least nine different coup attempts. The most recent plot, in February, shared similarities with others in that it involved members of the military who are…

ADF STAFF Since early 2020, Mali has banned the export of rosewood, also known as kosso. Despite that, nearly 150,000 tons of the wood — equal to 220,000 trees — left the country over the last two years, all of it with a single…

ADF STAFF Cabo Verdean police intercepted a boat in early April suspected to be involved with international drug trafficking. The Brazilian boat contained more than 5 tons of cocaine. The operation, which included help from the United…

ADF STAFF The scene has played out repeatedly across the Sahel in recent years: A group of military officers take to the airwaves to announce that the nation’s president has been deposed and a new leader installed while crowds fill…

ADF STAFF The sleepy forests and villages of the Foni Kansala district in The Gambia erupted January 24 as Soldiers chased a truck filled with timber. What followed was the latest spasm of violence in the Casamance region of Senegal,…

In Russia’s frenzied attempt to flex its muscles, get access to natural resources and increase its geopolitical relevance, it relies heavily on private military companies (PMCs). This strategy produces a small foreign footprint and offers…

ADF STAFF  |  Photos by AFP/GETTY IMAGES The former Portuguese colony of Guinea-Bissau has been dogged by unrest and instability since its independence in 1974. The government was overthrown about six years later, and its history has…